Waterdeep: Dragon Heist - Side Kaz
by Raphael Comet
Summary: This story chronicles the beginning of the Waterdeep: Dragon Heist D&D campaign a friend of mine DMed. I participated as a player character named Kaz. The story "Me, Myself, and Reese" serves as Kaz's prologue for this story and campaign. The story continues in "Waterdeep: Dragon Heist - Side Reese". Kaz and Reese are my OCs while everyone else belongs to their respective owners.
1. The Troll Slayers

**===== Chapter 1 =====**

**The Troll Slayers**

So… I remember it all started in the bar called the Yawning Portal. I was sitting at the counter, enjoying a drink in the evening after work. Like usual when I went out to socialize, I was disguised in my human form to keep my work life separated from my personal life. The bar wasn't different from any other day. I was dressed in just a casual shirt and pants with only my favorite knife sheathed behind me on my lower back. The usual suspects were there like the barkeep, Durnan, and the barmaid, Bonnie, along with a few other familiar faces among the crowd of patrons. As I was drinking, a male Halfling caught my eye as he started to gain a crowd by the throwing knife board. He was hurling knives at the board and doing rather well at that, almost tempting me to get in on the fun. But I wasn't that confident in my knife-throwing ability. I mean, I was good, but not quite that good. After he left, I went over to the board to watch a couple other patrons try their luck at knife-throwing. These two were absolutely horrible, only able to stick the knife in the board maybe every one out of the three times they tried. Their amateurish ability made me chuckle on the inside and boosted my own confidence in my own abilities.

Everything was going normal as usual until a fight broke out. I don't know who started it, but it involved around eight or so people total. One of the persons involved was a half-orc named Yagra Stonefist. She was a local sword-for-hire and I recognized her from the one or two times she stopped by the shop. She frequented the bar I was at as well, so she was easily recognizable also due to her antics. Alongside her in the scuffle were four other individuals fighting against a small band of low-level things. They seemed like members of the Xanathar's Guild based on the numerous eyeball tattoos on their leader's head. Among those fighting on Yagra's side were two halflings -one of them being the knife-thrower from earlier-, a lizardman, and a male human, or so I thought.

After the fighting began, I just sat back and enjoyed the show, sipping on my drink while I stood by the knife throwing area. Shortly after it started, it escalated quickly from a mere bar brawl to a full-fledged fight with weapons and all. Blood was soon spilled which caused some of the patrons to look on in disgust. But not me. I'd grown accustomed to Waterdeep's violent tendencies, though, I haven't ever contributed to the bloodshed.

Yagra's group seemed to have the upper-hand and were about to finish off the other group until an unlikely addition joined the fray. Coming out of the well in the center of the establishment was a troll with several stirges on its back. The three smaller creatures seemed to be attacking the troll, feeding on it almost. Everyone in the bar, including those fighting, paused to turn and see the hideous creature emerge from the well's dark depths. As it began to climb over the top, the two halflings, the lizardman, and the other guy began to turn their attention towards it. Yagra, on the other hand, continued to fight the thugs from before.

As the fight with the troll and stirges commenced, several of the patrons within the bar panicked and sought refuge wherever they could, hiding under tables and behind cover. In case it took a turn for the worst, I shuffled over next to the exit so I could easily split if I needed to. I continued to watch everything unfold, a welcomed distraction from my otherwise mundane routine.

By the end of the fight, I had wandered back over to the bar and was chatting with Bonnie about the people fighting alongside Yagra. During our conversation, she told me their names and a bit of information about each of them. The two halflings were named Arthur and Magdove, the lizardman was named Gix, and the last guy was named M'naggo.

Once the threats had been dealt with, I gave the victors a congratulatory clap as did some of the others in the bar. Among those who were impressed by the performance was a man wearing fine clothing. From my spot at the bar, I couldn't hear what he was saying as he thanked each of the individuals who successfully fought off the troll and stirges. Curious, I got up and discretely made my way closer so I could eavesdrop on the conversations.

From what I could piece together, the individual with the fancy clothes was looking to hire the troll-slayers for a job. A good friend of his had gone missing and he wanted them to search and bring him back safely. Back then, I had begun to grow bored with my work as a weapons merchant for the Guild and wanted some adventure in my life. Day in and day out, I was subjected to the stories and exploits of the many adventurers and assassins that came through the store. The thrill of adventure, the satisfaction of a completed contract. It all sounded so exciting. The killing, not so much, but the notion of getting out there and doing something new was what lured me in.

So, with this opportunity right before me, I decided to take it. I psyched myself up and approached the employer from behind as he finished discussing the details of the job with one of the troll-slayers. As I was right about to tap him on the shoulder, he turned around and stood face-to-face with me. I quickly withdrew my hand and gave a friendly smile as he seemingly offered the job to me as well out of nowhere. All throughout the fight, I remained nothing more than a spectator and didn't lift a finger to help, yet he offered me a place on the team nonetheless. I politely introduced myself as I thought it over in my head. The job seemed easy enough and I'd be doing it alongside the very capable warriors who took down the troll. Seeing no downsides, I graciously accepted and received ten gold dragons as an upfront payment.

As he put the small pouch of gold in my hand, he also recapped the details of the job. His friend, Floon Blagmaar, had gone missing and was last seen at the bar named the Skewered Dragon within the Dock Ward. It had been a couple days since his disappearance and this Volo fellow was growing worried about his well-being. Volo told us that he'd be residing at the Yawning Portal in the meantime and to report any developments in the case to him there. After getting everything I needed to know from our employer, I followed the others as they went off to go find Yagra. They had some questions for her and wanted to talk, but as for me, I just wanted to observe the team and see what they were like.

I followed the two halflings and M'naggo as they searched around for Yagra. They spotted her grabbing the nearly dead Xanathar's Guild member and heading for the door. We followed after her and watched as she hurled the man out of the bar and tumbling across the avenue. After tossing him out, Yagra went back inside the bar and sat down at a table. The others went over to her table and sat down with her as did I. Magdove, Arthur, and M'naggo talked with Yagra while I just sat and listened. After they were done talking, M'naggo challenged Yagra to an arm-wrestling competition. Seeing an easy opportunity to make some money, I bet two nibs on Yagra to win. I didn't know much about the skinny lad named M'naggo, but compared to Yagra, it wasn't even a challenge, or so I thought. Yagra was looking pretty beat up after all the fighting and she ended up losing significantly to M'naggo. Of course, I was annoyed that I lost the bet, but at least I got a better understanding of my teammates' capabilities. After M'naggo had beaten Yagra, Magdove decided to give it a shot and challenged her as well. Wanting to recuperate the loss, I more than doubled my bet and wagered five nibs on Magdove to win. Having lost already, Yagra must've mustered all the strength she had left and used it to defeat Magdove. The match was close, but Yagra emerged victorious and I ended up losing again. Having lost twice, I decided to find something else to entertain me since all the talking was over with.

Seeing the throwing knife board vacant, I made my way over to it and began to do some practice throws with my knife. I wanted to challenge Arthur to a match to make some quick money, but after seeing my practice throws, I wasn't feeling too confident that I'd be able to beat him. I did a few more sub-par practice throws and ended up deciding against challenging him. As it got later in the night, I decided to head on home since there wasn't anything the others were doing that pertained to the job at hand. Volo had requested that we meet with him early in the morning, so I wanted to get some rest before then.


	2. The Package

**===== Chapter 2 =====**

**The Package**

After waking up the next day, I got ready then made my way over to the Yawning Portal to meet up with the group and Volo. When I got there, I ordered some eggs and toast to munch on for breakfast while I waited for the others. After they made their way into the Yawning Portal to wait with me as well, Volo eventually came down to meet us. He was carrying a lot of papers in his arms and looked rather flustered. He spotted us and hurried over to our location. He hastily greeted us and told us about another task he had for us to do. It was an urgent task and one that took precedence over the current one we had. He wanted us to retrieve a package for him from a friend of his. The package was located in the Castle District at a shop named the Little Nest which was run by a person named Blue. After he gave us the details, he hurried off to attend to something more important, whatever it was. Once we were done with breakfast, we got up and left to carry out the sudden task given to us.

On the way there, we stopped by Magdove's family's shop called Nibsies in the Trade Ward. Volo said the package would be ready around noon, so we had some time to kill. Nibsies was a quaint little place that had everything and anything one needed. Everyone went inside except for Gix who just waited outside. The items for sale were all placed haphazardly around the inside of the shop with barely a hint of organization. When I went inside, I glanced around and browsed the shelves for anything interesting. Really wasn't looking for anything in particular. While I was looking around, I caught M'naggo inspecting a rather suspect-looking jar. As soon as he opened it, the fumes must've been horrendous as it caused him to vomit into the jar. Thinking no one was looking, he capped the jar and placed it back where he found it. I just shook my head and continued to look around. As a shop proprietor, bad customer habits really struck a nerve, but I wasn't there as a shop manager, so I just ignored it for now.

While I was looking around, I came across a curious looking item. On a pile of random goods I found a dagger made from a sharpened bone of some sort. I picked it up and inspected it, seeing some potential in it. It had a serrated edge and leather wrapped around the handle. I took it and brought it over to Magdove, asking how much it was. She said it only cost five nibs which was a steal. I figured after fixing it up, I could resell it for at least a few shards at the shop, so I bought it from her. I only ended up paying four nibs which was even better. As I was paying for the bone dagger, M'naggo came over to pay for the things he wanted to purchase. I noticed the jar of vomit was missing, so I loudly inquired about it in front of Magdove. After causing a loud confrontation between her and M'naggo, I took my new dagger and went outside.

After everyone was done with their business at Nibsies, we continued on our way towards the Little Nest. During the walk there, I happened to be the target of a wannabe pick-pocket who failed miserably. First off, his appearance was a dead giveaway of someone being up to no good; he was cloaked and shifty-looking. As he tried to pickpocket me, I gave him an intimidating glare as I asked him if I could help him. He was completely surprised to get caught by me and my intimidation caused him to back off before he fainted. As he laid there in the middle of the road, I shook my head and gave him a sneer, continuing on my way with the others.

Eventually, we reached our destination and found that it was a pet shop. After heading inside, we made our way over to the owner, Volo's friend named Blue. We explained why we were there and he explained that he no longer had Volo's package. He told us that the shop was robbed earlier that day by members of the Xanathar's Guild and they took Volo's package. I was very disappointed about the news and had hoped this was going to be an easy job. Blue at least told us where the robbers went; they took the package to a location in the Dock Ward. They left a threatening letter for Volo which had their location's address surprisingly.

Before leaving to retrieve Volo's package from the robbers, the others inquired about getting some pets while we were there. Arthur and M'naggo asked about falcons while Magdove bought two sugar-gliders. For the falcons, Blue led us all into the back of the establishment and showed us the two falcons he had. One was fully trained and one was still in training. I had no use for a pet, but since the others were still here, I had to stick around since I had no intention of hunting down the missing parcel alone. Arthur ended up reserving the falcon in training before we left the shop.

Once everyone was done with their personal business at the pet shop, we made our way towards the address in the Dock Ward. On the way there, we stopped by the Yawning Portal to give Volo an update on the situation. When we arrived, he wasn't present so we left a message for him with Durnan and Bonnie. We then continued to the Dock Ward, momentarily stopping by an armor shop along the way for M'naggo. As we approached the Dock Ward, we witnessed a curious and unfortunate sight. A bard was up ahead and upon seeing us coming his way, he took out his flute and began playing a song for us. Arthur saw the bard's performance as a challenge so he took out his instrument and began to play as well. Shortly after starting towards us, the bard tripped and fell over, breaking his flute in the process. The bard seemed devastated but Arthur went over and helped him out. After that minor inconvenience, we managed to finally make it to the bandit's hideout.

The location was a house and it seemed rather rundown and abandoned. There were two Xanathar's Guild sentries out front keeping a lookout for those inside. Arthur decided to try and talk his way passed the two guards. I kept my distance and observed from afar, ready to provide assistance if need be. A few moments passed and it didn't seem Arthur was getting anywhere with the two guards. As one of them attempted to head back inside the house, an arrow came suddenly flying out of nowhere and struck the guard right in the back, causing him to fall to ground dead. I was just as surprised as Arthur and the other guard were, wondering where the arrow came from. I looked to generally where the arrow was fired from and saw M'naggo standing out in the open with a bow in his hand, looking rather flustered. Shortly after the first guard was taken out, the remaining one hurried passed Arthur and went inside to warn the others.

Seeing that our element of surprise was gone, we all rendezvoused at the front door and proceeded inside. Arthur and Magdove carefully led the way, getting shot by a couple of crossbows through a small slit in the wall next to them. Eventually, the others made their way fully inside and engaged the bandits in a full-on battle. I remained more towards the back as I watched the rest of the group fight head-on like they did back in the Yawning Portal against the troll. During the battle, Magdove was gravely injured but healed by Arthur. Eventually, the battle was won and I even got a couple hits in during it, knocking one of them out. Didn't kill anyone, which was fine by me. The group did manage to capture another of the Xanathar's Guild members alive, but she killed herself by setting themselves on fire. It was a grisly sight, but I got over it. Once the area was safe, I went back to the enemy I knocked out earlier and secured him using the manacles M'naggo gave me.

As M'naggo interrogated him, I went about looting a couple of the enemies the others killed. I managed to find two gold dragons, five silver shards, and twelve crossbow bolts. While we were searching and looting, we managed to find Volo's package intact. M'naggo, Magdove, and I transported the package back to the Yawning Portal to deliver to Volo. Arthur and Gix did some investigation and personal things before rejoining us at the Yawning Portal.

When we all got there, we took the package to Volo and he was grateful that we were able to get it for him. In exchange for our services, he gave each of us five mini red dragon scales that were worth five gold dragons each. I took the scales and put them in my backpack; I decided to keep them around for now and didn't sell them. As soon our business was finished with Volo for the time being, M'naggo took the weapons he looted earlier and hurried out the door to try and sell them somewhere. Seeing as how I had nothing else better to do, I followed him out and went with him to the nearest weapons vendor. When we finally found someone still open, M'naggo approached him and sold the weapons. I remained at his side to make sure he was getting a good deal and he did. After that, I decided to head on back home.


	3. Finding Floon

**===== Chapter 3 =====**

**Finding Floon**

The next morning, I went back to the Yawning Portal to meet up with the rest of the group and continue our search for Volo's friend, Floon. I found Arthur, M'naggo, and Magdove present so I decided to sit by myself at a table and observe from a distance. I saw Gix sleeping on a table in the corner of the tavern area which was odd, but then again, I wasn't too familiar with lizardfolk mannerisms. While we waited for Volo, M'naggo and Magdove went to go wake Gix up. After getting him up, they saw me and came over to sit at my table. A few minutes later, Arthur joined us at the table and chatted with us. Eventually, Volo arrived at the tavern area and came over to us to say a few words. When he was done talking to us, we all got up and left the Yawning Portal to continue our search for Floon.

Our only lead was at a tavern called the Skewered Dragon within the Dock Ward so we headed that way to begin the search. As we traveled towards the place, Arthur decided to sing and skip along as did Magdove who was copying him. They were up ahead while the other two and I trailed behind. I watched and pondered about how these two were able to slay a troll so easily just a couple nights before. I must've been lost in thought because I suddenly found myself standing in a crowd around a crime scene.

The area was cordoned off by a dozen members of the city watch. There were around six or so corpses littering the ground with the guards apprehending a few survivors of the skirmish. It seemed to be gang related as there were only Zhentarim gang members alive. I couldn't make out the affiliation of the dead, but I guessed they must've been more Zhents and Xanathar's Guild members. After taking a brief look around, we continued on our way until we made another stop along our route.

This time, we happened to be in front of a curious looking storefront within the Dock Ward. What made it stand out from its surroundings was that the front was painted purple and it had a stuffed, plush beholder in the front window. The name of the establishment was "The Old Zeblob Shop" which was painted on a sign above the entrance and the stuffed beholder was its mascot, which was named Zeblob. Since everyone was curious about the shop, we decided to give it a look. Upon entering, we were bombarded with nothing but the color purple and all its various shades and hues. The walls were purple, the floor was purple, and even a vast majority of the merchandise was purple. M'naggo and Magdove went over and talked with the shop owner while I stood off to the side, listening in on their conversation. They asked him if he knew anything about Floon but all he told them was that he witnessed a kidnapping just outside his store. He didn't report it to the authorities but he did say the individual being kidnapped could have been him; he wasn't sure. After their conversation was over, I wandered off and perused the merchandise the store had to offer. Even though a lot of the goods were related to Xanathar and other beholders, the shop owner told us that he was in no way related to the Xanathar's Guild.

I asked the owner if he had any weapons to offer. He didn't have any weapons per se, but he did have an intriguing snake fang that was available for purchase. It was around a foot long and it was hollow. Immediately, I saw the potential it had to be made into a poison dagger or something. I asked how much it cost and it was only five silver shards. I figured that after I fixed it up, I could easily double its value for resale so I bought it. As I was paying for the fang, Magdove and M'naggo were causing a ruckus elsewhere in the store. Once the transaction was done, I discretely made my way outside while the shop owner was distracted with the destruction the others caused. I had an image to keep, so I didn't want to get on the owner's bad side by being mistakenly associated with the troublemakers.

After everyone was done at the shop, we continued on. Finally, we arrived at the Skewered Dragon which appeared to be in a state of disrepair. Then again, almost everything in the Dock Ward appeared that way. I followed M'naggo inside and sat at the bar, two stools down away from M'naggo and the bartender. Gix eventually came in as well while Magdove and Arthur waited outside. As I sat at the bar, I eavesdropped on M'naggo as he asked the bartender about Floon. The bartender told him that he recalled Volo and Floon being at the Skewered Dragon. After Volo left the tavern, Floon remained and was met by another individual, Renaer Neverember, the son of the previous Open Lord of Waterdeep. At the very end of their conversation, the bartender mentioned a warehouse over on Candle Lane within the Dock Ward. Once M'naggo had gotten everything he could out of the bartender, he got up and headed towards the exit. Seeing him leave, I got up as well and followed behind him out of the tavern. M'naggo told everyone what he found out so we headed towards the aforementioned warehouse.

We eventually found the warehouse and immediately began to scout the surrounding area. The large structure had all its windows painted or covered to prevent unwanted prying eyes. We spotted a possible entrance, but it was locked. M'naggo tried to talk his way inside but after knocking on the door, nobody answered. As he and the others tried to come up with a plan to get inside, I went around the perimeter of the building to try and find a way inside but to no avail. All the windows were shut and locked and there was no way to access the interior through the roof. I eventually made my way completely around the building and regrouped with the others who were still trying to come up with a plan. Suddenly, Gix and the two halflings, who seemingly came with their own plan, scurried over to a nearby window and prepared to enter.

As I watched them run off, I turned towards the locked door and knelt down beside it, pulling out my Thieves' Tools from my backpack. M'naggo was still with me and watched as I began to pick the lock to the door. As soon as I had the lock picked, I heard a crash as the two halflings were thrown through the window by Gix who then went in after them. I rolled my eyes and stood up, putting away my tools back into my pack. I drew my rapier and slowly opened the door, heading inside along with M'naggo. Inside, we engaged four Kenkus in combat who appeared to be part of the Xanathar's Guild. They were all focused on the door after M'naggo knocked on it previously, so when the halflings came in through the window, they caught a couple by surprise on their flank.

The ensuing battle was a bit rough. During the fight, M'naggo was knocked out by one of the Kenkus so I went to his aid and tried to protect him. As I did so, one of them got a lucky hit in and knocked me square in the jaw, temporarily knocking me out to the ground. Fortunately, the others came to our aid and healed both me and M'naggo after fighting off the Xanathar's Guild members. After I was healed by Arthur, I slowly got back to my feet and found a wall to lean against as I regained my composure. Now that it was quiet, I got a better look of my surroundings and saw several bodies pinned against the far wall; they were members of the Xanathar's Guild. Magdove inspected each one and relayed that none of them matched Floon's physical description which was good. We split up and searched around for Floon or any clues that might give us a hint to his whereabouts.

I happened to find a small closet underneath a set of stairs and decided to check it out. I readied my sword and carefully opened the door. Immediately, I was bombarded by the horrid smell of rotting fish as the door creaked open. As I looked inside, I found a man hiding within who didn't seem like he was with the others. I asked him if he was okay and if he was Floon. He wasn't Floon but said he was fine and was just hiding from the gang members. Seeing as it wasn't Floon, I was about to close the door on him until he mentioned that he knew Floon. I stopped then fully opened the door for him to step out. He told me that his name was Renaer and that he and Floon were abducted by Zhents. Their captors were asking about Renaer's father and Floon just happened to be a bystander. Unfortunately, the Xanathar's Guild raided the warehouse and mistook Floon for Renaer so he was taken instead. While he was talking, M'naggo came over when he saw me conversing with someone. Shortly after he came over, the City Watch came bursting into the warehouse.

I didn't immediately recognize the people raiding the warehouse, so I pushed Renaer back into the closet and went in with him, closing the door behind me and telling him to be quiet. I couldn't make out the voices so I just waited in the closet until everything was clear. Suddenly, the door opened and M'naggo appeared asking for Renaer to come out. As Renaer moved forward and stepped out of the closet, I followed close behind him, pretending to be a prisoner that was trapped along with him. Upon seeing the City Watch, I relaxed slightly, but kept up the act just in case the others were in trouble for trespassing and murder. I looked around and saw the others close by with the guards across from them.

Shortly after Renaer revealed himself, the officer-in-charge stepped forward and addressed us. He questioned the group about what they were doing there and what had happened. After explaining everything to the officer, who introduced himself as Captain Staget of the City Watch, he told us that he and his men were looking for a major Zhent instigator named Floxin. He used to have the warehouse under surveillance as he suspected it was a gang-related facility, but due to a lack of manpower, he had to redirect those on surveillance duty elsewhere. Shortly after the scouts were pulled off surveillance duty, the kidnapping happened. He apologized for the situation happening then gave each of us a copy of the Code Legal, a document which outlined what was illegal in Waterdeep and the punishments for each crime. I stashed the piece of parchment away in my pack without bothering to read it. He then told us about a potential Xanathar's Guild hideout in the city's sewers which could be a place they could've taken Floon. He didn't have the men to spare at the moment so searching for Volo's friend wasn't a priority. After he was done with us, he allowed us to leave, though we weren't allowed to take any of the looted gear with us as it was going to be taken as evidence. I tried to sneak one of the rapiers out but Staget caught me. I huffed with disappointment and dropped it before leaving with the others. Could've made a quick dragon flipping one of those.

Upon leaving the warehouse with Renaer, the group and I went to the Skewered Dragon to rest before looking for an entrance into the sewers. When we got back, I headed to the counter and ordered myself something to eat and drink. Got some cooked fish and some water which ran me around three nibs or so. Wasn't half bad considering the locale. Once we were all rested up, we headed out to find this sewer entrance the captain talked about. We decided to split up into three groups of two: M'naggo and Gix, Magdove and Arthur, then finally me and Renaer. After a while of snooping around, none of us ended up finding anything so we all rendezvoused back together. After reporting our lack of success, we decided to give it one more shot and we searched different areas. Luckily, M'naggo and Gix found the opening Staget was talking about and let us all know of its location.

The area around the sewer's entrance smelled horrible. Just plain awful. I nearly had to hold my nose as the horrid stench infiltrated my nostrils. Fortunately, I wasn't the only one who thought it stunk so someone did some magic to make things smell a tad better. Looking around, we saw a yellow symbol which was related to the Xanathar's Guild. The others said they heard from one of the Kenkus earlier to follow the yellow markings, so I guess that was what we were going to do. We entered the sewer and followed the markings for about an hour. Eventually, we came to a fork in the path. As we were trying to decide which path to go, we spotted a strange eyeball creature which immediately became hostile once it saw us. The others acted quickly and killed it while I stayed behind to watch our flanks. The enemy was using a lot of long-range attacks and I couldn't deal with that, so I helped out in other ways. After that, we continued down the sewer paths.

Eventually, we began traversing drier corridors that were above the sickening sludge of the sewage flowing beside us. There, we encountered a goblin who seemed to have just woken up from a nap. Gix took action and knocked out the goblin while M'naggo used some of my rope to secure it. We just tied it up and left it behind so it couldn't cause us any more problems. After taking care of that, we carefully continued on our way through the dank corridors.

Later on, we spotted two members of the Xanathar's Guild and got the jump on them. One was a human male while the other was a male Duergar. The others attacked and everything seemed to be going our way until the Duergar began to get larger and larger. He must've cast some sort of spell to make himself grow larger, becoming larger than even Gix. Everyone continued to fight while I lingered more towards the back to make sure no one else joined in on combat. Towards the end, I managed to get a hit or two in but ultimately the others were the ones who finished them off. They kept the human alive by knocking him out but Gix was a bit annoyed with the Duergar and killed him outright. M'naggo again took some of my rope and tied up the human. While he was doing that, Arthur and Magdove heard something up ahead and ran off to investigate.

After dealing with the captive, I went with Renaer and joined the others up ahead in a larger room. Inside, there was a half-orc in tattered rags with his foot on the chest of a human lying on the dirty ground. We presumed the human in distress was Floon based on what we could see from the room's entrance. Further back we saw a Mindflayer with an Intellect Devourer just standing there, watching everything unfold. Even though it didn't have a proper face per se, it looked as though the Mindflayer wasn't intimidated or worried at all by our sudden appearance.

Before the fighting began, we watched as the Mindflayer casually left the room and seemingly teleported away from within the adjacent room. We guessed teleportation because after the battle was over, we couldn't find it anywhere. Anyway, after the Mindflayer left, the others and I fought the half-orc and the Intellect Devourer. For most of the battle, I stayed back and let the others deal the majority of the damage since they seemed more apt at direct combat. Eventually, I joined some of the others as they surrounded the Intellect Devourer. I figured I could safely get in a hit or two so I readied my sword and lunged for it. To my surprise, my precise strike finished it off as my sword skewered the disgusting creature all the way to the hilt. I lifted the brain with limbs up to get a closer look but it smelled absolutely horrible. I flung the thing way over my head behind me then looked to the remaining hostile in the room.

I rejoined the others and we finally managed to bring him down. Gix got the finishing blow and smashed the orc's head in with his weapon. During the battle, Arthur got seriously injured while protecting Floon but Magdove was able to stabilize him. Unfortunately, Arthur was still looking pretty bad and Magdove was too weak to perform any more healing magic to save him. Since I had a Potion of Healing for emergencies, mainly emergencies concerning myself, I decided to hand it over since we were a team and all. Yuck. I went over to Magdove and gave her my potion to use on Arthur. I gave her a forced smile then walked away, hoping Arthur would be able to pay me back for that. Those potions weren't exactly cheap.

With the enemies taken care of, we went about securing the area. Renaer immediately went over to the man on the ground who was slowly getting back to his feet. After a brief moment of relief, Renaer revealed to us that the mystery man was indeed the missing person known as Floon. While the two friends were talking, the others went about looting and searching the remainder of the rooms. As for me, I just kept an eye on Floon and Renaer since they were our main objective, well, Floon anyway. Now that we had him safely in our care, I just wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. While the others were searching around, they found a passageway that led into a cellar of sorts. They didn't know where it led or who it belonged to but it seemed like the quickest way back to the streets and out of the sewers.

Since Renaer had the most clout and recognition, he led the way as we all followed behind him into the corridor leading into the cellar. He carefully made his way into the cellar and further into the dwelling above. Fortunately, we ended up in a private residence so Renaer explained to the owners who we were and what we were doing snooping around underneath their home. It was an older couple, Mr. and Mrs. Peabody, and they operated a microbrewery out of their abode. Again, Renaer apologized on our behalf for the unwanted intrusion before leading us out back onto the street. He told the residents to notify the authorities of the gang hideout in the sewers if they wanted it taken care of.

After finally making it back topside, we headed on back to the Yawning Portal to bring Floon back to Volo and collect our fee. Arriving back at the tavern, Floon, Renaer, and Volo were finally reunited. They talked amongst themselves as we waited for Volo to finish and give us our reward. When the time came, he told us he didn't exactly have the gold for us that he promised, but instead had something even better. At that point, I was rightly annoyed by that revelation, but I remained open to what he had to offer. He sat us all down and explained that he planned to give us a deed to a property within the city. It was a manor in the North Ward called Trollskull Manor. Normally, that would've been all nice and dandy except for the fact that I already had a place to call home. I'd also have to share the manor with the other members of the group which didn't exactly sound too enticing. The others were excited about the news and graciously accepted the offer but I withheld my enthusiasm. He told us to meet him at the courthouse tomorrow morning to finalize the paperwork. Once he was done telling us all about the arrangements, he left as did Renaer and Floon who thanked us again for saving them. After they left, I headed back home to get some rest and clean myself up. It was going to take weeks to rid myself of that horrid stench.


	4. Rewards and Renovations

**===== Chapter 4 =====**

**Rewards and Renovations**

The next morning, I got up and met the group at the courthouse to wait for Volo. Arthur and Magdove were there initially then M'naggo and Gix showed up later. I decided to tag along in case Volo did somehow manage to scrounge up the gold he owed me still. When Volo arrived, we went inside to meet with the magistrate. He and the magistrate went over the contract with the others while I just stood there and brooded. Volo told me he didn't have the gold to give and that the manor was our only reward. I was greatly disappointed but oh well. I got a little out of the experience at least and I got my fix for adventure, for the moment at least. When it came time to sign the deed, I abstained while everyone else signed the parchment. I'm glad I did because right after they signed the document, they had to pay some hefty taxes and whatnot. There was a 25 dragon fee just to carry out the transaction of ownership from Volo to them. I knew from the get-go that the property was going to be a big hassle, both physically and financially which is part of the reason why I didn't want any part of owning it. Once the legalities were out of the way, Volo led the group to the manor to show them the property. I can't believe they signed the deed without even seeing the manor first. For all they knew, it could've been a heaping pile of wood and debris. Best case scenario was that they had a house with a roof over it. I doubted it was even furnished so I followed along to see if my assumptions were correct.

We walked through the streets of Waterdeep and found ourselves in the North Ward. Volo continued to lead the way and brought everyone to the front of the manor. Upon arriving, I couldn't help but smile wryly as my assumptions were correct. Looking upon the front exterior, I saw that it was in a state of neglect and hadn't been maintained as nicely as I would've hoped. But fortunately, this mess wasn't my problem to deal with unlike my over-enthused companions. Volo told us a little bit about the property then led us into the first floor which used to be a tavern.

The tavern area was a mess and looked to be long abandoned. It was completely unkempt with dust covering the floor and surfaces. The furniture, whatever was left anyway, were in severe states of disrepair and scattered all over the place. There were cobwebs dangling from the ceiling and the corners of the room. With each step we took, more dust was kicked up from the floor. The more I looked around, the more I was glad I didn't accept Volo's reward. While we were looking around the tavern area, Renaer dropped by to talk to the group more about tavern ownership. I didn't pay much attention to what he was talking about but I heard a little bit about taxes and dues which sounded absolutely horrible. After I had looked around, I left the tavern to head home, leaving the others to make their new dwelling more like a home.

I spent the next few days back at the Artistic Armory carrying out my normal business. One night, I was in my room above the shop when a curious thing came flying in from my open window. I was sitting at my desk when a magical paper bird landed right in front of me. At first, I was startled by its sudden appearance but then I took it and unraveled it to see what was written on it. It was a letter from the Harpers, an organization that operated within the city. The letter detailed an invitation to join their ranks. They were impressed by my recent exploits with the Troll-Killer's group and caught their attention. I was to meet a representative of theirs at an opera occurring in a couple days. It was a formal attire event and I was to meet this representative at Private Box C during the intermission. I was intrigued so I decided to keep the offer in mind. Since it was only late afternoon, I went to the tavern my acquaintances then owned to see if any of them had received a similar letter.

The tavern more or less still looked the same when I arrived. Seeing as it was later in the evening, I knocked on the front door to see if they were around. When I went inside, it looked cleaner than but still just as empty as when I first saw it. It appeared that the tavern still wasn't open for business. Once inside, I asked around and showed them the letter I got from the Harpers. Turned out Magdove and M'naggo both received similar letters and were also interested in attending the opera. We agreed to attend but they weren't likely to join. I thought about joining so we'd see how the offer went before I made a final decision. After finding out about their letters, I watched as M'naggo continued to do whatever he was doing before I had arrived.

M'naggo told me that he had an encounter with a ghost living within the tavern and he was trying to capture it somehow. Magdove also had experiences with said ghost and was helping him out. I didn't believe a thing he said but amused him anyway, saying I'd sleepover to help them out. I had nothing else better to do so I went along with it. I remember falling asleep behind the counter with nothing notable happening during the night. In the morning, I went back to my place to sleep a bit more then got ready for work.

Afterwards, I went back to the tavern to see what everyone was up to. Magdove and M'naggo were talking about what to wear for the opera and wanted to go shopping. I decided to tag along to see if I could find anything to supplement my wardrobe. Magdove led the way and we ended up at her store, Nibsies. We went inside and looked around. Magdove and M'naggo decided they wanted to help look for something for me and brought several pieces of clothing for me to try on. There were only a couple of pieces that I found only mildly interesting so I decided to go with those to appease my companions. Graciously, Magdove paid for both M'naggo's and my clothing. After leaving the store, we split up to get ready for the opera later in the evening.

I went back home to get cleaned up and dressed for the opera. When I was ready, I met up with the others at their tavern before heading to the opera. Arthur and Gix wanted to tag along so we brought them as guests, though, finding fancy attire for Gix was rather troublesome. Once everyone was ready, we left to head to the location of the opera. Upon arriving, we showed the door attendant our letters of invitation from the Harpers but were denied access to the opera. Turned out that the invitations weren't actually passes for the opera so we couldn't get in. I was rather pissed that I wasn't able to see the opera but I got a little bit of it in later on. Anyway, we had to explain that we were here to meet with a representative from the Harpers and the door guard eventually let us in. An attendant escorted us in and led us to where the meeting spot was supposed to be within the opera.

When we arrived, we entered the private box and met with our recruiter, a man named Mirt. In order to be allowed into their ranks, he first gave us a mission to accomplish which was to find a specific individual and relay back the information they had. We had to find a talking mare named Maxine who was a brown horse last seen pulling a cart in the Dock Ward. Once we had relayed back the information the mare had on the Zhents, Mirt and the rest of the organization would consider allowing us into their group. Seeing as how we were there already, we decided to take the job, though, I think I was the only one considering actually joining them; however, not being given an actual pass to the opera was already souring my disposition of them. Once he was done explaining everything to us, the group and I left the box. I'm not sure where the others went or what they were going to do, but I snuck downstairs to try and find a seat to watch the rest of the opera. I was going to see some of this opera one way or another; that guy owed it to me.

I discretely made my way into the general seating area and found an empty seat. Shortly after sitting down, I was confronted by one of the valets asking if I had a ticket for the opera. I easily deceived him and told him a lie, saying I had lost it when I was in the restroom. The deception worked and he left me alone to finish watching the opera. The opera was all right though I wished I had seen it from the beginning. Afterwards, I decided to head home.

Along the way, I happened to run into the rest of the group who were apparently out doing the mission Mirt had given us. They managed to find the mare and got the information she was holding for us. Magdove gave M'naggo the special paper bird Mirt gave us to write down everything they had found out. Once he was done writing, the piece of paper turned into an origami bird and flew off to relay the information to Mirt and the rest of the Harpers. After that was taken care of, I decided to head on home after a job well accomplished… no thanks to me.


	5. Part of the Crew

**===== Chapter 5 =====**

**Part of the Crew**

The next day, I found out that the Guild was tired of dealing with the overhead of managing a store that catered both to the public and its members when they had one at the city branch. The Artistic Armory wasn't bringing in as much income as they had hoped. As a result, they closed down the Artistic Armory and merged its assets with the member-only weapon shop at the branch guild house. The Guild already had staff manning the new shop so I was no longer needed. I was then laid-off and considered no longer an associate of the Guild. With no home left, I took what little possessions I had in a duffel bag and headed for the only other place I knew: Trollskull Manor, which was later renamed the Evergreen Tavern by the new establishment. I was going to miss my job working with all those exotic weapons…

When I finally got to the manor, I knocked on the door and hoped that they'd let me stay there. It wasn't exactly my first choice but it wasn't like I had anywhere else to go. Everything I had known was at the Artistic Armory and now it was gone. Thankfully, Arthur answered the door and let me in, saying that I was more than welcome to stay there with them for the time being. They'd work out rent and the like later but in the meantime, I'd offer my services to the tavern any way that I could.

Once I was allowed to live with them, I went up to my room in the attic and began to unpack and clean my new living arrangements. The room was empty except for a broken bedframe which I had Magdove repair for me. Other than that, I had to find furnishings on my own. At least the floors, walls, and ceiling were already cleaned from when they first moved in. I spent the rest of the day making myself at home the best I could; I'd have to go shopping for new furniture at some point in the near future.

The next day, I came back downstairs and entered through the front of the manor, but this time, in my normal fox form. There was no need to hide my identity anymore if I was no longer working for the Guild, so I came down as my normal self which felt great. Of course, everyone didn't recognize me so I had to re-introduce myself all over again. After that was taken care of, M'naggo told us that he was going to meet with the Emerald Enclave to consider joining their ranks. I kinda wanted to go shopping but since I was out of the job, I decided to go with him to see if they were worth joining as well. If the tavern flopped, which was an all likely scenario, I had to think about finding a job elsewhere around the city. Getting an introduction to each faction seemed like a good thing to do, though, I was still kinda hoping to land a job with the Harpers since they seemed to be the most fitting for me.

Arthur and Magdove joined M'naggo and I as we all headed out to meet with the Emerald Enclave. Along the way, we decided to make a quick detour into the City of the Dead to pay our respects to the previous owners of Trollskull Manor. After that, we stopped at Nibsies for some quick shopping. I didn't find anything of use so when everyone was ready, we continued to follow M'naggo to where the Emerald Enclave was going to meet him.

When M'naggo met with the Emerald Enclave representatives, they told him about a disturbance in the farmlands that they wanted him and us to investigate. There were reports about livestock being mutilated, most of them being sheep. They mentioned something about Scarecrows being involved, so M'naggo went off by himself to scout ahead around the farms while the rest of us went back to the tavern for Gix and our gear.

When we got back to the tavern, Gix wasn't there. We figured he was still working at the docks so while we waited for him to get back, we retrieved our gear and weapons. After Gix got back, we all made our way up to the farmlands to rendezvous with M'naggo. Now, if I do recall, I was feeling rather sick and tired after having slept on the cold, hard floor the past night, so I don't remember this excursion all that well.

Upon arriving at the farmlands, we met up with M'naggo and found a place to camp out for the night. We had to split the watch in shifts and I got the last shift. Luckily, nothing happened during mine as I was still feeling a bit out of it. After everyone woke up, we had some of M'naggo's goodberries for breakfast. For the majority of the day, we went around the surrounding farm area looking for disturbances and signs of attacks. As we were searching, we came across a flock of sheep that were currently being attacked by two creatures. When the creatures saw us approaching, one ran off while one stayed to continue slaughtering the livestock. We engaged the first creature and defeated it then moving on to pursue the second. Unfortunately, the second scarecrow got away but at least we still managed to take one out. When we returned to the scene of the sheep attack, all that was left of the first scarecrow were sticks and pieces of burlap.

As it was getting late in the evening, we set up camp and decided to lay a trap for the remaining scarecrow. Arthur took one of the sheep carcasses and used it to disguise himself as a one, using himself as bait. After the watch shifts were decided on with me getting the last one again, we all prepared for the night. I wish I could've at least gotten in more sleep before my turn, but that wasn't the case.

In the middle of the night during the third shift, we were attacked by two scarecrows. The scarecrow from before rushed our camp and got in close while I was groggily waking up. It then caught me off guard and attacked me. Fortunately, the others quickly came to my aid and handled the situation. I was not expecting to get mauled by a scarecrow like that and it really freaked me out. Shortly after defeating the second scarecrow, a third came out of the darkness and attacked us. It was promptly put down by the others without too much trouble. After securing the area, we all tried to get a bit more rest in before we headed back into town.

After a brief nap, we went back to the Evergreen Tavern to unwind and get some food before reporting our success to the Emerald Enclave. When we got back, I tended to my wounds and got some breakfast. I was super tired and cranky from the lack of sleep and being sick. When we were all ready to go, we headed back out to meet with the Emerald Enclave. After reporting a successful mission, we were each awarded a pouch of 20 dragons (five dragons per kill); someone falsely reported that we took out four scarecrows instead of three, but I wasn't about to rat them out if it meant getting less money as a reward. No harm, no foul and for all I knew, the others could've actually taken out a fourth scarecrow that I wasn't aware of. Once that was all taken care of, M'naggo decided to join up with them while the rest of us abstained. We all then went back to the tavern to continue on with our day.

Once I got back, I decided to do some shopping since I wanted to get a good night's sleep in. I meandered around the shopping district and managed to find everything I needed for around seven dragons. I got myself a new mattress, a wardrobe, a desk and chair, a storage trunk, and a new blanket and pillow to go with my new bed. After everything was promptly delivered to my room at Evergreen Tavern, I was completely excited to rest my head later that evening.

I spent a good amount of the afternoon getting my room in order and making sure all my new furniture was in the right place. Once it all looked good, I went back downstairs to the tavern. Along the way, I talked with Magdove and let her know I got new wooden furniture. I told her that she could give them a closer look if she needed inspiration for her wood carving projects.

When I first arrived at the tavern after being laid-off, I spoke to the others and decided that I'd help manage the finances and other managerial aspects of the tavern since I had experience managing a shop before. They had no problems with it and after hearing they hadn't really been doing that in the first place, I figured this was a best fit for me. I got myself a notebook and immediately began taking inventory and creating a ledger for the tavern to keep track of expenses and the like. As I was working, someone mentioned that I should meet with some guild officials to really get the ball rolling. They knew of a person who acted as an intermediary between the various guilds in town and new establishments like the tavern. His name was Broxly Fairkettle, a member of the Fellowship of Innkeepers, and he could take care of everything for us. I told them it was worth a shot and set up a meeting with them.

When the time came, I met with Broxly and he explained everything that I needed to know about managing a new business within the city, especially one that served food and alcohol. He told me all about the various expenses and fees that I should be aware of as well as all the guilds I should know about. We would need to work with a guild to get the roof and exterior for the tavern repaired and renovated. We'd have to work with a guild to get food supplied to us as well as drinks. We'd need to get a guild look at our plumbing to make sure it was functioning and up to code. For every little thing we could think of, there was a guild in the city that dealt with that and we were highly encouraged to use their services and expertise when dealing with any issues we might have had. He told me that the tavern would need roughly 1,000 dragons to account for the initial processing fees, supply contracts, and guild memberships. After that, the tavern should have been able to begin operations for real. That number was astronomical and I knew that even with our combined wealth, we would have nowhere enough dragons to cover that amount. Broxly told me there was no rush to get the money, but the sooner the better. After that, he left the tavern and said if we needed anything else to just come by and ask. Once he was gone, I told everyone else about what we talked about and the enormous amount of dragons we had to raise.

While we were talking, the Yawning Portal staff came by to visit and see how the tavern was doing. Around the same time, Renaer came by the tavern and we told him about the large sum of money we had to collect. He figured that we'd run into something like that so he donated a large sum of four harbor moons (200 dragons) to the cause. We were extremely gracious and he also told us about Mirt the Merciless, the Harper representative we encountered at the opera. Renaer said that Mirt could possibly help us out with regards to our money problem and would send a letter on our behalf asking him for help. We thanked Renaer for his generosity then he left. Later on in the day, M'naggo receives a letter from Mirt in the form of a magical, paper bird telling him that we are to meet with him at his estate the following day.

The next day, we all follow the instructions on the piece of paper and head to Mirt's estate to talk business. When we got there, we were greeted by a butler who led us to a smaller building off to the side that was seemingly created strictly for business matters. We waited inside for Mirt to arrive and when he finally did, we got straight to the point. The others and I talked about this before getting there and asked Mirt for a loan to cover our guild expenses. There was some negotiating back and forth but I managed to finalize the deal at a 1,000 dragon loan with 100 dragons being paid as interest. The total amount was to be paid back over a three month period. The interest was initially much higher but I bargained it lower in exchange for two Harper missions being conducted by us free of charge. The total amount of 1,100 dragons could be paid in small amounts over the three months or in one lump sum at the end or whenever. As long as the full amount was paid before the due date, that was all that mattered. Mirt had the agreement written up into a formal document and M'naggo signed as the primary with Gix as the back-up. After the document was signed, Mirt had a servant bring us 20 harbor moons (1,000 dragons).

As the group was leaving, Mirt wanted to talk to me in private so I stayed behind to hear what he had to say. He asked if I was still interested in joining the Harpers and I told him I was. Without any ceremony or elaborate announcement, he made me a member and gave me five sheets of magical paper to be used for official business only. I thanked him for the opportunity and left to catch up with the others.

After the meeting with Mirt, the group and I went to meet with Broxly to put this loan to good use. When we met up with him, we used the loan to pay our fees and get everything moving regarding the revitalization of the tavern. We got all the necessary paperwork signed and everything was ready to go. Basic renovations lasted around twelve days or so, but after that, the tavern was more or less ready to be opened; though, there was still much to be done before we could open the tavern fully to the public. During the renovation period, Arthur worked on his brewing skills and tried out different recipes, sending some samples to the Yawning Portal to garner some publicity.

After the renovations were complete and supplies delivered, we prepared for a soft opening. We made sure we had enough food available and that the drinks were all brewed and ready for consumption. Everything was cleaned and all the furniture was arranged in an orderly fashion. When it came time for the Soft Opening, we only invited friends and close acquaintances to test things out. The opening went well and we managed to rake in 38 dragons. After the success of the Soft Opening, we prepared for a Grand Opening to the general public. It was a huge success and everything went smoothly. The night came and went and we earned a total of 122 dragons. Before they could celebrate our success, I had to be the bearer of bad news and remind everyone that we had a large debt to pay, so the earnings from both nights were being applied directly to the loan. The others were understanding and remained optimistic as there were more successful nights to come.

Over the next week or so, and thirteen days after taking the loan, I continued to maintain the administrative aspects of the tavern and its operations. The earnings we gained were mostly used to pay off the day to day expenses and supplies needed for continued operation. Everything was going well and our patrons all seemed pleased with how things were going. I'm just glad the large explosion outside didn't shut us down.


	6. Playing with Fire

**===== Chapter 6 =====**

**Playing with Fire**

One day, as I was working behind the counter doing my usual thing, there was a large explosion down the road from the tavern. The explosion made the whole tavern shake as I took cover behind the counter, wondering just what in the world was going on. Were we being attacked? Arthur and Magdove were with me in the tavern and rushed outside to see what was going on and help any potentially wounded. I just remained inside, making sure the tavern was ready to receive anyone caught in the blast or what not. A few moments later, without having anyone come through the front door, I moved out from around the counter and went to the entrance, poking my head outside to see what was up.

Upon looking outside, I could see the mess the explosion caused out on the street. There was rubble and debris everywhere. There were bodies scattered all about, some of which I wasn't sure if they were alive or not. It was like a warzone right here in the middle of Waterdeep. M'naggo and Gix had joined the others outside and were helping out wherever they could. Eventually, the City Watch came by to take control of the situation which I was relieved to see. Even with their arrival, M'naggo and Arthur ran off to play detective or vigilante or whatever. I just shook my head and watched them leave, eventually being followed by Magdove and Gix. Wow. I wished I had the luxury of abandoning my responsibilities to go play detective like them, but of course, I was being sarcastic so I stayed at the tavern to provide aid to the authorities if they needed any. It looked like I was the only responsible one who cared about operating a tavern and paying off our debts. Oh well. Someone had to do it…

Due to the security cordon in the streets, the tavern's employees couldn't make it to the tavern to work. As such, business was slow and I was left managing what I could by myself inside the tavern. After the others got their fill of running around, they all returned to the tavern. Thankfully so because later on, a couple of guards investigating the explosion came by to ask some questions. It was a higher ranking guardsman and a mage-looking individual that appeared at our front door. Arthur answered the door and was interrogated first followed by me and everyone else. I didn't have much to say but those who did some investigating themselves divulged whatever they found out. After they left, M'naggo had something interesting to show us.

We all gathered around one of the tables and watched as M'naggo emptied out a little sack onto the tabletop. Out of the pouch came serval gems and he told us he pilfered them off one of the dead people outside after the explosion. He said the person was a gnome and had two apparent Zhent gang members near him who were also dead. Everyone else explained what they found out as well. During our conversation, Arthur talked about the puppet that allegedly was at the scene of the crime and its possible connection to the Day of Wonders parade. I was familiar with the holiday and offered what I knew about the parade, saying that automatons were part of the celebration and were kept at a temple within the city. Perhaps that was what the puppet was, an automaton.

After sharing what we all knew, we split up to find more information, and by split up, I mean everyone left to go on a wild goose chase while I stayed behind to manage the tavern on my own… again. M'naggo and Magdove said they were going to the Order of the Gauntlet to find out more while Arthur was going to find out which temple the automatons were stored at. Through their investigations, M'naggo managed to find a way to ask the dead victims of the explosions questions while Arthur found out that the Temple of Gond was the one we were looking for.

Once we were all back at the tavern, we headed to the Temple of Gond together to investigate the automatons stored there. Upon our arrival, we stopped just outside to get a better look at the large structure. As we were standing there, a metal bird came diving down from on top of the temple. It had its sights on M'naggo and dove right for him. Seeing the bird on a collision course with himself, M'naggo pulled out his bow and prepared to swing at the bird using it. He missed and the bird impacted his chest and exploded. We looked up to where the bird came from and briefly saw a mysterious figure watching us before disappearing from view. As they were looking at it, I knelt down and collected the pieces of the metal bird for myself, stashing whatever I could recover into my backpack which included a metal feather.

After recovering from the blow, M'naggo rushed for the entrance of the temple to try and pursue his alleged attacker. We all followed him and burst into the temple; I remained towards the rear of the group to give myself space from whatever embarrassing things they might do. Upon entering the temple, we were greeted by one of its priestesses, a bronze dragonborn by the name of Valetta. M'naggo angrily confronted her along with the others and demanded entry to the roof. They asked Valetta if she knew anything about the possible assailant but all Valetta knew was that there was an automaton living in the attic. The automaton was named Nim, a special Nimblewright that was gifted to the temple by foreigners. She supposed Nim could be responsible since he liked to tinker and create things, so she led us up to meet him.

When we got to the door that led into Nim's chambers, Valetta stopped and remarked about how there was a new lock on his door that she didn't have the key to. Not wanting one of the others to try and bash it down, I scooted my way to the front of the group to give it a gander. I discretely took out my lock-picking tools and easily picked the lock. To them, it looked like an intricate and difficult lock but to me, it was cake. I made it look like all I had to do was turn the nob a different way to hide the fact that I actually picked the lock. After getting the door unlocked, Valetta led us inside to meet the automaton in question.

Valetta told us that Nim didn't speak but instead communicated with hand gestures, like a form of sign language. When we all entered into its domain, the Nimblewright came over to us and began signing something to Valetta. Valetta interpreted what it said and told us Nim was sorry for what happened and that the bird was indeed one of his creations, though, it had somehow malfunctioned. After that was cleared up, the others began to question it about the explosion near the tavern. Through their interrogation, they learned that Nim was a very lonely automaton and created one for himself as a friend; however, his creation escaped and went rogue. When asked about the fireball necklace Arthur found, he did not recognize it nor knew how it worked.

Upon hearing about what Nim did, Valetta ordered some of the associates downstairs to confiscate everything in Nim's workshop. A couple of people from down below came up and began moving things out of the attic as punishment. In order to make up for what he did, Nim gave us an invention of his that would help tracking down the rogue Nimblewright. He intended to use it himself but couldn't get out to use it as an invisible force field prevented him from leaving the premises.

Wanting to keep things under wraps, Valetta offered to pay us to find and destroy the rogue automaton before it did anything else. She notified us that there were no more than 10 or so Nimblewrights in the city, so it shouldn't be that difficult. She was willing to pay us 500 dragons and one of their inventions if we could bring her proof that the rogue Nimblewright was disposed of. We took the job and Nim's rogue Nimblewright finder. After we had all the details, we left the temple and began our search for the rogue Nimblewright.

The group decided to start with the Dock Ward first then work our way around the city. As we entered the Dock Ward and continued south, the device began to whir. M'naggo was in charge of the device and followed the whirring, moving whichever way made the whirring become louder. Eventually, the device led us to a pier crowded by ships and people loading and offloading things from said ships. The device was most active in front of a particular ship there, so the others talked with the crew to gain access and investigate any Nimblewright activity. I didn't care and still wondered why we were doing all this in the first place. I mean, the explosion didn't affect us in the slightest. Our tavern wasn't damaged and nobody caught in the explosion was anyone we knew. Even so, the others insisted on this wild goose chase so I let them be. At least we were being paid at this point, so that was something.

Eventually, the crew arranged a meeting with their captain, a man named Zardoz Zord, who was situated on a ship just off the coast named the Eye Catcher. The others agreed to meet with the captain while I volunteered to stay behind with the device to keep track of any Nimblewright movement. Before leaving, M'naggo left his cat, Benji, with me to keep me company. As the others got on a small boat with members of the ship's crew, except for Gix who just swam alongside it, I watched from the dock and played with Benji. I had no intention of getting myself mixed up with some random sailors on an unknown ship but the others seemed capable enough to get themselves out of any trouble they found themselves in.

Around thirty minutes to an hour passed before I saw the group coming back to shore on the same little boat they left earlier on. Benji and I hadn't moved from our spot and were just chilling, watching people go about their business without getting in the way. Once they were back, I handed M'naggo the device and told him there weren't any changes with it. They didn't have any luck with the captain and someone said I missed out on something interesting, but I highly doubted that. Finding nothing relating to our rogue Nimblewright at the docks, we decided to head to the Yawning Portal to continue our search.

On the way there, I decided to see if anyone in the Harpers had any information that might aid us in our search. I took one of the magic pieces of paper and wrote down everything we knew about the explosion near the tavern, the Temple of Gond, and Nim and his rogue Nimblewright. I also mentioned that status of the loan we had and how much left we had to collect. Once I was done writing everything down, the piece of paper turned into a bird and flew away.

When we arrived at the bar, we split up to take care of our own business. The others talked with the local personalities there while I just sat at the bar and had myself a drink. While I was sitting there, Three-Strings came by and discretely slipped me a piece of paper saying it was from the Harpers. I gave him a surprised nod and took the letter. I never would have thought he worked for the Harpers, but then again, they were all about secrecy and working in the shadows, so it was expected of them to be so covert. When I opened the letter to give it a read, I learned that the Harpers did have a bit of information relating to the explosion near the tavern. The letter described an individual named Urstul Floxin, a suspected member of the Black Network which was a Zhentarim group. He was present during the explosion incident and had escaped the scene of the crime. The letter reported that he was last seen heading towards Gralhund Villa which was down the road from our tavern in the North Ward. When I was done reading it, I showed Arthur the letter but refrained from telling him that I received it from Three-Strings.

After everyone was done with their business at the Yawning Portal, we split up. Arthur and Magdove headed to the Order of the Gauntlet to follow some leads while I stayed with Gix and M'naggo at the bar; they were heavily drinking, so I stayed with them to make sure they got home okay and didn't end up dead somewhere. After they had their fill of alcohol and merriment, I chaperoned the two back to the Evergreen Tavern. Once I got the back home safe and sound, I waited around for Arthur and Magdove to return.

By the time they got back, M'naggo had sobered up a bit and wanted to accompany me and Arthur as we headed out to investigate Gralhund Villa. It was late at night, so we had the cover of darkness to help our approach. I didn't intend on doing anything other than waiting on the streets and perhaps acting as a lookout. The other two? Who knew what their intentions were. Anyway, we headed towards the villa and found it within the North Ward all right. It was just a short walk away from our tavern. The outside seemed unassuming and the surrounding area was quiet except for the occasional pedestrian.

While we stood on the street in front of the abode, we all discussed a plan of action to see what this place was all about. I didn't want to go in let alone be caught anywhere near the location, so I volunteered to wait across the street and keep a lookout for guards or any signs of trouble. As M'naggo and Arthur were coming up with an entrance strategy, I spotted a detachment of guards down the street heading our way. I told the other two to actual natural and waited for the guards to arrive. We had done nothing wrong, so what was there to fear? Or at least, I had done nothing wrong...

When the guards arrived, they notified us that they had received reports from concerned citizens that there were suspicious individuals loitering about in the area. Of course, we were the only ones here so they suspected us of being the culprits. I wanted to play it cool and say we were just minding our own business, but then Arthur had to chime in with his cockamamie story that he heard screams coming from the place we were trying to break into. He said we were on our way home to the tavern when he thought he saw someone being kidnapped into the villa. With all that being said, I had no choice but to play along which I did. The guards seemed to buy our story but then told us to move along and vacate the area while they investigated around. Well, there went our late-night surveillance scheme but at least we avoided any trouble with the law. With no other choice, all three of us made our way back to the Evergreen Tavern.


	7. The Enemy of My Enemy

**===== Chapter 7 =====**

**The Enemy of my Enemy**

Once we were back at the tavern, we decided to call it a night. In the morning, we all met back up in the tavern below to formulate another plan to try and get into Gralhund Villa. I was still unenthusiastic about all this sneaking around playing vigilante, but what was I to do?

While we were planning everything out in the open on a table, we heard a knock on the door. To hide everything, Gix just flipped the table before going to answer the door. We all just sat there and looked to the empty area in front of us where the table used to be. As Gix opened the door, two little human girls stood in front of him. They were asking for donations to help pay for the damages the explosion earlier down the street caused. Arthur got up and went over to them while the rest of us tried to clean up the mess Gix caused by flipping the table so brutishly. Arthur handed over 25 nibs which made the girls leave. After they were gone, and the table flipped back over, we continued with our planning.

In the end, we finally came up with a plan to infiltrate Gralhund Villa. First, Gix and I were going to play the role of delivery people with me changing into my human form and acting as the primary delivery person. Gix was going to act as my muscle and carry a large crate, and inside the large crate the two halflings and M'naggo's cat were going to be hiding. Elsewhere, M'naggo himself was going to find an elevated position to cover us with his bow and provide support. I think he was going to pretend to be a chimney sweep or something? I don't know, but he was going to try and be as inconspicuous as possible while climbing up on the rooftops.

After going over the plan and everyone understanding their role in it, we began to prepare. The others secured a crate for us to use by getting one of the many empty ones we had left over after our initial supply shipment. Once we had a crate, I used my forgery skills to make the crate look like a legitimate exotic animal shipment, complete with warning tags and labels. I even made it look worn and used, as if an exotic animal was actually in there instead of two halflings and a big cat. After getting the crate ready, I made myself a delivery girl outfit and prepared the forged delivery documents. I had made my fair share of forged documents while working at the Artistic Armory, so I knew thing or two about it.

Once everything was ready, we headed out to Gralhund Villa to conduct a daring in the middle of the city in broad daylight. Gix and I walked down the streets with him carrying the large crate. M'naggo snuck around and went up ahead to try and get into position before we got there. Upon arriving at the location, I psyched myself and approached the front gate. The villa was secured by a tall wall that couldn't be climbed over. It was topped with sharp points to prevent trespassers. The only way in was through a steel gate, which was locked. There was a bell next to the gate so I gave it a ring by tugging on the string. There seemed to be no response so I rang it louder. This time, it seemed to get someone's attention as a seemingly old and frail man came shambling over. He said his name was Hurv and he was the villa's groundskeeper. When asked what I was doing there, I told him that I had a delivery for his master, an exotic animal, and needed to drop it off inside his house for it to be considered a successful delivery. Luckily, his master had recently gotten into the hobby of collecting exotic animals and let us through the front gate. It seemed to be locked magically as he just tapped on the lock which undid it, no key required.

After getting onto the property, Hurv led us to the stable saying that was where we were allowed to drop it off. It was better than nothing, so we followed him, just glad we made it through the front gate and onto the premises. Along the way, he mentioned that he had two mastiffs but they wouldn't bother us unless we bothered them first. I made sure to note that and stay way clear of them.

Upon arriving at the stable, Hurv opened the door and let us in. Gix placed the crate down in the middle of the area before I went over to it and knelt down, discretely telling its occupants to get ready to move. As I was about to get back up, they told me to neutralize the groundskeeper while we were still in the stable. I had no intention of getting physical and planned to just distract him out front by talking about his dogs or something. That way, the others could use the latch on the inside of the crate to get out and sneak into the villa. Unfortunately, they had other plans and wanted me to take him out. Seeing as how I was outnumbered in the decision, I sighed and looked over to Hurv who was waiting by the entrance.

I asked him to help me and take a look at the crate. He obliged after some hesitation and joined me in the middle of the room. I looked to Gix who gave me a nod and went over to quietly close the door to the stable. Once Hurv was down next to me, I drew my knife and went around behind him, fumbling around with it before finally getting it placed against his neck. I didn't want to hurt the guy and just told him to surrender quietly. Just as I placed the knife to his neck, he said something I didn't recognize and his dogs outside began to bark. Not wanting to cause more of a ruckus, I hit the old man in the head with the butt of my knife to shut him up but all it seemed to do was make him angry. Not wanting to get into direct confrontation with him, I got up and backed away, apologizing profusely as I let the others take him on.

Gix moved into position and began attacking him as did the halflings after they opened the latch to the crate. The old man seemed much more powerful than he appeared to be and held his own against the rest of the group. All throughout the battle, Hurv's demonic-looking mastiffs barked and tried to get through the wooden door but it held firm until we dealt with their master. I managed to get a decisive blow on his head, hitting him again with the blunt end of my knife. It seemed to knock him out as he fell to the ground. Magdove felt bad for doing this to an old man and used her magic to heal him slightly. As Hurv came to, he cast some sort of spell on me and Gix, but it only seemed to affect me. After casting the spell, I felt a sudden urge to just run away which is what I began to do. Meanwhile, Magdove was angry that Hurv continued to attack us after she helped him and fried him using her magic. After taking care of Hurv once more, the others turned their attention to the dogs as they burst through the door and were soundly taken care of. Luckily, I managed to get passed them without injury as I fled due to the spell while the others took them out.

Once it was clear and after the spell wore off, we secured the area and looked around. I checked what remained of Hurv's body for house keys but didn't find any. Instead, I found a weird book which I gave to M'naggo since I didn't want it. After looking at the book, we discovered that Hurv was a hardcore cultist of some kind. Elsewhere, the halflings were playing around with a regal looking black horse and found several gold bars in its saddelbags, seven to be exact which were each around 5lbs. in weight.

After finding nothing else in the stable and remembering the main reason why we were there in the first place, we left and looked for a way into the main house. The others advanced into the house through an unlocked door while I stayed behind at the stable, hoping to prevent our target from escaping or anyone else coming along and discovering the dead bodies. Everything seemed to be going according to plan until I heard what sounded like fighting coming from the front of the house. I left my post by the stable to investigate and found the others fighting a Zhent gang member. Luckily, the villa's high walls prevented those outside on the streets from seeing the commotion, so once they had defeated their foe, they dragged his lifeless body inside and shut the door. I joined them inside the villa and saw the mess that was all around them.

We were in a large room completely surrounded by death. There appeared to be eight dead Gralhund Villa guards along with four dead Zhent thugs littering the floor. I covered my mouth in disbelief, never having seen so much death up close before; it was repulsive. There were also dead servants scattered around the house or so I was told. Fortunately, I didn't see any of them which I was glad for. Sadly, among the dead was also M'naggo's animal companion, Benji. He fought bravely and died in the battle against the Zhent goons. M'naggo was wracked with grief and carefully placed his companion's limp body in his backpack, hoping he could somehow revive him at a later time. As everyone was recovering from their recent fight, they heard more fighting coming from upstairs and rushed to help whoever was in trouble.

Unable to catch their breath, the others went headlong into the unknown and charged up the stairs. I followed after them, staying at the rear of the line. As we got up to the second floor, we saw what appeared to be Gralhund Villa's remaining security force. There were a few guards still left fighting against three Zhent members while a woman's voice was heard behind them. Elsewhere, there was another Zhent member trying to kick his way into one of the other rooms. Seeing as how the majority of the Zhents were occupied with the Gralhund guards, Magdove and the others decided to engage the lone Zhent first.

Since Magdove was first up the stairs, she rushed ahead of the others and tackled her target to the ground. The lone Zhent went down hard and quickly recovered, turning his attention towards her. When I finally made it to the top of the stairs, Magdove had already been impaled by a sword and severely poisoned. She was lying on the ground in front of the lone Zhent who had a half-burnt face. I figured that was the guy we were after since his injury was probably sustained during the fireball attack. As I looked to Magdove on the ground who was writhing in pain, the Zhent I assumed was Floxin readied his sword again and plunged it back into her body, causing her to breathe her last breath as he withdrew his blade.

I watched in horror as one of my companions faded right there in front of me. As the others engaged Floxin and the other Zhents in battle, I crawled over and dragged Magdove's body away from the fighting. I didn't know what to do; I didn't have any healing potions, medical supplies, or any healing magic to help her. Eventually, the others took out two of the Zhents and managed to subdue Floxin without killing him. Arthur then came over to Magdove and me, and upon seeing her in a critical condition, told Gix to pick her up. Gix carefully picked Magdove up and began hurrying downstairs followed by Arthur. Before Arthur left, he told M'naggo and me that he was going to take Magdove to the Order of the Gauntlet HQ to try and find a healer. Gix was going to put her one of the horses in the stable and Arthur was going to ride it to get there as fast as he could. I gave him a nod and wished him good luck as he and Gix left with a mostly dead Magdove, leaving M'naggo and I to finish up at the villa with Gix joining us later. On his way out, Arthur took his Order of the Gauntlet pin and jammed it into M'naggo to give us more clout and hopefully help us better explain things.

After they were gone, M'naggo gave me his rope before moving on to help the guards finish off the remaining Zhent. I took his rope and secured Floxin's wrists behind his back as well as his ankles together. After the last enemy was dispatched, M'naggo and I went to check on the Gralhund survivors and offer any aid we could. M'naggo took the lead and showed them the badge, explaining that we were part of the Order of the Gauntlet, which in fact the two of us weren't; it was the other three who were members but unfortunately none of them were present at the time.

Inside the room being sieged was the lady of the house, Lady Yalah Gralhund, accompanied by her personal bodyguard, a hulking half-orc, and two of her regular guards that survived the previous engagement with the Zhents. Yalah introduced herself and told us that her husband was the one in the room that Floxin was trying to break his way into. She had on an ornate breastplate that gleamed brightly as well as a fancy looking rapier, which I thought was pretty cool and wanted to get a closer look at it if I could. They thanked us for helping them out with the Zhent intruders and asked what we were doing there. I chimed in and said that we were tracking a known felon named Urstul Floxin and had tracked him to their abode. I also mentioned that the Zhents may have killed their crazy groundskeeper, Hurv, to avoid us getting blamed for that.

Lady Gralhund was rather calm and collected considering everything that had just transpired. She then asked to speak with Floxin and has us go retrieve him for her. M'naggo and I complied and dragged his body over to her in the middle of the room. Upon seeing him lying there all bound in rope, Lady Gralhund said a few disconcerting words as her men slowly surrounded us, one of them taking position in front of the doorway and only exit. I looked to M'naggo and we exchanged worried looks. It wasn't until Lady Gralhund took her rapier and slashed open Floxin's neck, killing him on the spot that I knew we were in deep trouble.

How did it come to this? What had I truly gotten myself into? I never thought I'd find myself in this kind of situation in a million years. We were saving these people, right? So then why were M'naggo and I suddenly surrounded by them in a fight for our lives? My heart sank as the fighting began with M'naggo lashing out against one of the people there. I grabbed what little protection I had -my favorite dagger- and lunged at the guard in front of me who was preventing my escape through the door. I missed my attack and he slashed at me with his longsword, twice. The blade cut deep into my body and as I was reeling from the blow, I then felt another blade pierce my back from behind. The pain was immense and I soon found myself blacking out from it all. In my head, the thoughts swirled in a torrent of emotions. As I found myself coming to, I was being carried by someone and eventually tossed to the ground. My body ached but I felt surprisingly warm. I was overwhelmed with panic, fear, and dread. This was it. This was… how I died. I tried to move, but I couldn't. I couldn't see any of my friends around. I was alone, all alone in this cruel world filled with pain and suffering. I never wanted this, any of it. I just wanted to live my life as a weapons merchant and that was it. I had dreamed of being an accomplished assassin but that's all it was. A dream. I didn't belong out in the thick of things, fighting with the very weapons that I had been selling for so long. I had a promising future and it was stripped from my hands like everything else in my life. As my captor grabbed my head by the hair and pulled me up, the only thing I could think of was Reese. I hadn't told him yet. I had waited too long and now I'd never get the chance. A single tear rolled down my cheek as a cold, piece of metal skimmed along my neck. As he let go of me while blood began to pour from the wound, I closed my eyes for the final time and pictured him the best I could, filling my last dying thoughts with him and him only.


End file.
